Begich skeptical of gun proposals

Source: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

FAIRBANKS — Sen. Mark Begich gave a tepid response to firearm restrictions proposed by President Barack Obama on Wednesday, saying he’s “not at all anxious” to pass new laws as an approach to curbing gun violence.

Obama unveiled his plans for new gun restrictions at a news conference, asking Congress to pass a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, along with expanded background checks for gun buyers. The proposals come a month after a shooting in Newtown, Conn., killed 26 people, including 20 elementary school children.

Begich, a Democrat, cautioned in an interview with the News-Miner that he’d only seen bullet-point summaries of Obama’s proposals and wanted to learn more details. He said he is unlikely to support new gun restrictions, preferring instead to focus on enforcement of existing laws to attack the problem.

“I think they’ve got a long haul here,” Begich said of the Obama administration’s gun proposals. “There are some of us who just fundamentally believe in a Second Amendment right.”